button pusher
Someone who pushes someone else's buttons: someone who goads, annoys, provokes, etc.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My brother is such a button pusher when we play games.”
“She tries to ignore her coworker, but he is a real button pusher who loves to start arguments.”
“Despite his professional demeanor, he proved to be a calculated button pusher, intentionally provoking his rivals during the debate to force them into making a mistake.”
Derived from a metaphor of mechanical control, the term likens human emotions to a set of literal buttons that may be depressed to elicit a predictable response. The recipient is manipulated on command, their reactions triggered by an external operator as if they were a piece of heavy machinery or a convenient household appliance.
The mechanism is tangentially comparable to that of a puppet master pulling strings to manipulate puppets. In this arrangement, the button pusher assumes the role of the operator, while the recipient occupies the position of the controlled object, their internal state adjusted by the simple application of pressure.
- 01
Benjamin Button
To seemingly age in reverse; to appear younger, either through changes in appearance or one's personality and lifestyle.
- 02
button nose
A nose with a small size and a relatively flat, round shape, usually considered to be dainty or cute in appearance.
- 03
button one's lip
To remain silent, especially in order to keep a secret or to avoid saying something inappropriate.
- 04
care a button
To care (at all).
- 05
hold by the button
To detain in conversation to the point of weariness or tedium; to bore while tallking to
- 06
press the panic button
To start to panic.
- 07
sew buttons
Used in response to someone asking "so?"
Last updated August 10, 2026